Cmdr. Cameron T. Naron will be relieved by Cmdr. William J. Lawrence as the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Confidence, a 210-foot Reliance-class cutter, home ported in Port Canaveral.

Naron graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Science. Prior to his assignment as commanding officer aboard Confidence, Naron has served aboard the CGC Boutwell, CGC Mellon, CGC Cushing, CGC Key Biscane and the CGC Campbell.

Lawrence graduated in 1990 from the Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Science. He has previously served aboard the CGC Chilula, CGC Diligence, CGC Staten Island, and the CGC Reliance.

The cutter Confidence was commissioned Feb. 19, 1966 and is the fifth Reliance-class medium endurance cutter. Under the leadership of Naron during the past two years, the crew of Confidence has intercepted 14 go-fast vessels and processed more than 558 Haitian, Dominican and Cuban migrants without incident or loss of life.

The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition preserved by the rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a formal and impressive custom, which strengthens the respect for authority. The culmination and heart of the ceremony is reached when both officers formally read their official orders, face one another, salute and transfer responsibility for the command. This tradition is wholly naval, without an equivalent in the Army or Air Force and descends from the early British Royal Navy.